


Come Softly To Me

by catnip



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Cuddling, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, OT3, extremely vague mentions of Sad Things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 01:09:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14884754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catnip/pseuds/catnip
Summary: Sometimes love is a tangled pile of limbs in a too small bed. Sometimes that love is sweet, and sometimes you hold each other just to make it through the night.





	Come Softly To Me

**Author's Note:**

> I......don't know where this came from or what it even is. But boy it sure hopped straight out of my brain and into a word doc faster than anything else I've done lately! Enjoy a bit of rare pair cuddling. Title shamelessly stolen from the song by The Fleetwoods, since I was listening to doo-wop while writing part of it.

When it came to cuddling, there had been a time when Fjord could take it or leave it.

He didn’t consider himself an overly tactile person. Growing up there was never much affection turned his way, but as he got older there were friends and lovers alike that helped change that. If someone wanted to spend time by his side he certainly wasn’t going to say no.

Jester and Caleb were predictable in their own preferences.

A pat, hugs, a squeezing hand hold; that all came second nature to Jester. And maybe sometimes it was a little desperate, a little needy, but it was always earnest. She rarely hesitated to give her friends anything, and they found that with them that kindness only increased tenfold. It was one thing they loved about her – Caleb too, no matter how he might shrink or fuss – and certainly she would never be denied their attentions in return.

For Caleb, there was a time when Fjord wasn’t even sure handshakes were on the list of things that he thought of as normal. Touching was for other people, not for him. He was not made to be caressed or held. It was work to gently but firmly pull down that wall piece by piece, but necessary work. Rewarding work. Some moments Fjord found himself jealous how easily Jester could do so, how she danced around his insecurities and pulled him to her, but he was happy when they were no matter what.

So – also predictably – their usual configuration was a Jester sandwich, her boys at her sides. Sometimes it was all Caleb could handle to lay on the edge of their arrangement, arm stretched to hold Jester’s hand or splay his fingers across her hip, and that was alright. Fjord reached across her to lay his hand on top of his, let his arm drape over Jester and secure her to him. Other times they lost themselves in each other, and it was overwhelming and grounding all at once. Jester's sweet laugh as someone's hair tickled her nose. Caleb's content sigh as he let his eyes close without worry. Fjord's strangled groan as lips pressed against his throat.

It wasn’t as though they truly got many opportunities for such peace. Huddling together on cold dirt while on the road could be soothing, or it could simply make your back hurt worse in the bleak mornings. The taverns they were forced to frequent rarely had beds big enough to make it comfortable (sometimes they settled on uncomfortable and were happy for it.) Jester still enjoyed her sleepovers with Beau, and Caleb needed his bond with Nott just as much as he needed them, even if it was different. 

There was also the matter of Frumpkin, and certainly they would not keep Caleb from his oldest comfort. At times Fjord used to worried over it like a fleck of food stuck in his teeth, and if you had told him he’d one day feel any kind of care for a cat he once called a devil he’d have laughed you right out of the conversation. But the times when he let the worry show, or apologized for his sneezing, Caleb simply but nervously kissed his cheek and told him it was alright. Sometimes Jester would tease and prod, making a show of Frumpkin cuddling in her lap or nuzzling her cheek, her grin wide and kind and it was her own way of letting him know they were alright. 

Sometimes, things were rough. And so things changed.

Caleb, locked safe between them, body stiff as stone and barely yielding. Still tying to shield him from the fire they had seen that night – the fire that had almost taken him, almost snatched him out of their grasp forever and kept him now in a place they tried to reach. The cruelty of the world weighed on them as they held his face and kissed his skin until he softened to tears.

Fjord, curled like a knot, Caleb curved around his back and Jester clinging to his front. Both running their hands over his body each time he shivered. Their skin all stung of salt and the smell of the sea lingered even after the wetness on their clothes dried. Still they did not leave him to the sharp memories of that long ago night at sea, or the fresh ones that lingered from his Patron.

And at times Jester laid between them not out of habit but out of need. Her tears on each of their chests as she moved between them, unable to settle her body or the pain in her heart. Taking turns to try and calm her with words of reassurance; of their love, of her worth, of her abilities even if she had not been able to save that foolish man who had insisted he join them in their fight. Kissing her forehead and hair until calm came.

They made it work, when they could.

And on the day when Caleb finally accomplished that dream he had quietly told them of so long ago, making it work no longer became an issue.

It had taken a long time to get to the end of the tour, everyone taking in each room and every detail. Picking at Caleb’s every choice, in kindness and curiosity rather than malice, but both Jester and Fjord could tell by the time it was just the three of them standing in the hallway that he was thin at the edges. Still he smiled at them.

“Come, there is one more room to see.”

Jester’s exaggerated ooohs followed them as they walked with Caleb back to his own room. They stopped in front of the bookshelves that lined one wall, and Fjord laughed as Caleb pulled a book from the shelf and the whole thing gave way, opening to allow them to pass through. Caleb’s grin was small but proud, and Jester returned it as he laced his fingers with hers and they all stepped into the room. 

It was small. Smaller certainly than the other bedrooms that had been set aside for everyone. There was a tiny table to one side while the bed took up most of the space. And opulent seemed the only word to describe it. It looked plush and soft, draped in silk sheets and beautifully embroidered pillows in rich colors. From the gasp and clap of delight Jester gave upon seeing it, Fjord knew it didn’t look fancy just for the sake of it.

And, most importantly, it was huge.

“I know it is not so spacious. I did not want to take away space from the more useful rooms of the house, you know, but I wanted to- I felt like-”

He was blushing, and fidgeting, and Fjord was too overwhelmed to stay where he stood, so he stepped forward and pulled Caleb as close to himself as he could get. 

“It’s perfect, Caleb.”

“It is, Caleb, it really is!”

Jester threw herself forward and added her weight to the hug, her full strength and love sending the three of them toppling backwards onto the bed. And so they stayed there, as long as time would allow.

**Author's Note:**

> I fully admit I know nothing about the practical application of Magnificent Mansion, but if a secret bookshelf doorway to a love nest isn't possible then is the spell even really worth casting? I hope the 3 other people out there shipping this ot3 with me enjoyed! Ha :)


End file.
